Lesson V: Hidden Truths – The Use of Spin

Prerequisites: Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Objective:

1. Students will compare the Japanese American experience during World War II with events affecting Arab Americans after September 11th.

2. Students will identify how negative words and statements can be turned into positive “spin.”

3. Students will learn how “spin” is used to shape the public’s opinion.

Materials:

Session One:

• JACL Curriculum and Resource Guide – A Lesson in American History: The Japanese American Experience.

• Optional film: Days of Waiting by Steven Okazaki (See Resource section)

• Large sheet of paper and felt tip pens.

• Handout: Their Best Way to Show Loyalty (San Francisco News – March 6, 1947)

Available through the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco

(http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist8/editorial1.html).

• Handout: Spin (www.WordiQ.com)

Session Two: Handout: An Arab American Internment? By Eric Muller (http://www.press.uchicago.edu/News/911muller.html).

Session Three: Handout: The Department of Justice Patriot Act Overview (see www.usdoj.gov).

Procedures: Session One: The Japanese American Experience

1. Teacher explains that the students will be comparing the Japanese American experience during World War II with the events affecting Arab Americans after September 11, 2001. The teacher gives a summary of the Japanese American experience during World War II based on the informa-tion from the JACL Curriculum and Resource Guide; or shows an appropriate film, such as Days of Waiting (Story about a Caucasian woman married to a Japanese American incarcerated in the Heart Mountain concentration camp).

2. Teacher discusses and develops with the students a list of the civil rights that were denied Japanese Americans on a large sheet of paper (keep list for use in later session) (Also, see appendix in this guide, Constitutional Rights Violated).

3. Teacher gives the students the handout, Their Best Way to Show Loyalty. Teacher explains to the students that this editorial was written in 1942 and describes the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States. Class time should be given to the students to silently read the editorial.

4. Teacher directed questions:

• What was the writer saying in the editorial?

• Why do you think he portrayed the incarceration of Japanese Americans as a positive and humane thing to do?

• Why did you agree/disagree with the editorial?

5. Teacher passes out the handout, Spin, and discusses the definition. Teacher and students review Their Best Way to Show Loyalty again, identifying the “spin,” paragraph by paragraph. Discussions should include what they thought the Japanese Americans who were being incarcerated felt during that time.

Session Two: An Arab American “Internment” Camp

1. Teacher gives the students the handout, An Arab American Internment by Eric Muller (written after 9/11/01). Students are to be divided into groups of 3-5 (one student designated as group leader and another as secretary). Their assignment is to read and discuss the article based on the following questions

• What are the similarities between the Arab Americans post-September 11, 2001, and Japanese Americans following December 7, 1941?

• How are the circumstances different for the Arab Americans as compared with the Japanese Americans?

• Why did Eric Muller write this article?

• What is Eric Muller’s hope for the treatment of Arab Americans by the U.S. government?

2. Teacher follow-up:

• Student groups report back to the whole class.

• Discuss with students the concept of racial profiling.

• Discuss with students why they agreed/disagreed with the article.

Session Three: The Patriot Act

1. Teacher gives the students the handout, The USA Patriot Act Overview, and reads the introduction with the students and gives a brief explanation of why the Patriot Act was enacted. Teacher discuss-es with students their definitions of “patriotism” and “patriot” and solicits examples. Teacher also poses a variety of scenarios and asks students if they feel the actions were patriotic or unpatriotic.

2. Teacher divides the students into 4 groups and assigns one section to each group. They are to discuss and become “experts” of their section. After an appropriate amount of time (about 10-15 minutes), students are re-divided into new groups comprised of representatives of the different sec-tions. For the next 10-15 minutes, the students explain to the group their sections of the Patriot Act. By the end of the session, all the students will have an understanding of all the components of the Patriot Act. (This process is known as “jigsaw”)

3. Students stay in the same groups (designate one student as group leader and another as secretary) and discuss the following:

• If you were an Arab American, what would concern you about this legislation?

• Are there any components in this legislation that could lead to circumstances similar to those faced by Japanese Americans during WWII?

• Are there any parts of this legislation that are questionable to you?

• How does the Patriot Act make our nation more secure? More insecure?

• Can one oppose the Patriot Act and still be a “patriot?”

• Was the Department of Justice using “spin” to make this legislation more acceptable to the public? Why or why not?

• If you were to amend the Patriot Act to balance national security with individual liberties, what would you add, what would you delete?

4. Teacher follow-up:

• Student groups report back to the whole class.

• Referring to the list of civil rights denied to Japanese Americans (Session One), discuss with the students, which civil rights might be affected by the Patriot Act.

• Discuss with students whether they think “spin” is positive or negative.

Additional Activites:

• Have the students select an issue concerning the school and have them write an article with their own spin.

• Select an issue that the class knows about. Divide the class into those that support and those that are against the issue. Have those that support, write a position paper using spin thatis against the issue. Have those that are against the issue write a position paper using spin supporting the issue.

• Select an issue the Democrats and the Republicans are on opposites. Have the students identify the spin being used by both parties, as well as from the White House or any of the administrative departments.